Willemijn van Dolen | Welcome to Amsterdam, that is famous for its... queues
Amsterdam is famous for many things, but these days also for people queuing. That seems mostly irritating, but it does have a purpose, argues columnist Willemijn van Dolen: it makes the product or shop more desirable.
Welcome to the UvA and for anyone from outside the capital: welcome to Amsterdam! Famous for its canals, museums, shops, terraces, clubs, theatres...and TikTok queues!
I hear locals grumble: “This is not Amsterdam, there is no ‘Amsterdammer’ in the queue.” But maybe that is not what the people want. They just want a nice sandwich or biscuit with a perfect Insta or TikTok story to go with. Besides, research shows that people like something better if they have had to queue for it.
In fact, the researchers show that if people are unfamiliar with a product but want quality, not having a queue can even have a negative impact. One gets the feeling that such a product is not worth waiting for. The queue as a hallmark of quality. This is especially true for shops with high customer turnover like the TikTok queue shop. Add to this the feeling a wanting to belong; a queue, something is going on there, you want to show on social media: I was there too!
Sometimes I envy the patience of people in the queue. I am also quite willing to try the toast of Chun Café. But I don’t feel like queuing. Besides, I would even feel a little embarrassed if I stood in it. Because I want to fit in just as well, but only with my group of born-and-bred Amsterdammers. And they turn their noses up at the long queue.
Van Stapele biscuit makers is now opening a bigger biscuit shop in the hope of winning back the Amsterdammer. I hope Chun does the same, then I can stay with the Amsterdammers and still try that toast! Although I will miss that extra flavor by not having to queue for it. Yes ‘sussie’ (little sister), you can’t have everything at once, my brother would say.
